1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to water-containing chocolates, and more specifically to a method for producing water-containing chocolates which, even when moisture is added thereto, are not noticeably gritty due to the coagulation of the solid contents thereof, do not have an abrupt increase in viscosity, and have a desirable flavor.
2. Background Information
There are a variety of water-containing chocolates in the prior art, from those which contain a small amount of moisture to those which contain a large amount of moisture. For example, a method of producing water-containing chocolates has been proposed (Japanese unexamined patent application publication S60-27339) in which a standard chocolate is molded not by adding substances thereto having a high water content, such as cream, milk, or the like, but rather by using a specific lipophilic emulsifier to produce a water-in-oil emulsion in which the fat in these high water content substances is emulsified. This emulsion is then added to the chocolate as an aqueous component. However, specialized equipment is needed to prepare a water-in-oil emulsion, the method is complex because the number of steps in the production process is increased, and thus is disadvantageous from an economic point of view.
In addition, a method has also been proposed in which an aqueous component is added as is to chocolate (Japanese unexamined patent application publications 556-28131 and H03-164137). This type of method is not widely used because the aqueous component is limited to liquid sugar, condensed cream, or the like.
Another typical water-containing chocolate product is a ganache, which is produced by mixing a chocolate mass with cream. This is an extremely delicious food product that melts in the mouth and in which the rich flavor of cream and chocolate spread within the mouth when eaten. It is used as an ingredient in high quality confections. This type of ganache is prepared by first heating and melting chocolate, and then mixing heat sterilized cream therewith. However, this emulsion is extremely unstable, will separate when used, is difficult to work with due to abrupt increases in viscosity, and it is difficult to reproduce a ganache that has favorable physical characteristics.